LATEST NEWS

Updated: Philip Seymour Hoffman & Chloe Moretz in Let Me In

Just accept it - they're remaking Let the Right One In and there's nothing you can do about it. Instead of sitting around complaining, just be happy that it may actually be shaping up to be a pretty good movie (or so I hope). SlashFilm has an interesting scoop regarding casting on the project that comes from the NY Times' movie info page. They list Kodi Smit-McPhee, the kid from The Road, as the boy Owen (instead of Oskar), Chloe Moretz, the girl from 500 Days of Summer and Kick-Ass, in the role of the vampire girl Abby (instead of Eli), and lastly, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman, really?! Now that is awesome.

Take all this casting as just a rumor at the moment because it hasn't been officially announced. While Smit-McPhee has been mentioned before, I didn't think that he was confirmed for the role. I'm hoping that we hear confirmation on these three soon enough, because to be completely honest, this is a perfect cast for Let Me In. Smit-McPhee is damn good in The Road and would do a great job. Moretz is my favorite young actress and would also do a great job. And Hoffman is one of the most talented actors around as well. No word on exactly what role Hoffman will play, but speculation is that he might play the father/mentor of Eli.

I'm trying not to get too excited too early, but if this cast comes together, then I will honestly be excited for this, despite all of its inherent negativity. It's a great cast of very talented actors and getting them is the first big step in the right direction if they want this remake to live up to the original. We'll let you know when/if we hear any more on Let Me In, but for now, let us know what you think of these. Good or bad choices?

Update: At least one half of this story isn't true. SlashFilm was just contacted by Overture Films (who is producing this remake) this afternoon and told that the Philip Seymour Hoffman side of this was completely false. However, they also said that a press release would be put out later this week confirming who is actually in the cast. My feeling is that Smit-McPhee and Moretz are still on-board, but we don't know who will play the adults yet. We'll let you know when the press release hits later this week, so stay tuned for that!

So does this mean they're going to make Eli/Abby a girl? I'd be disappointed if that's the case. I thought the ambiguous-ness of that character's gender added to the overall mysteriousness of him/her. (In the book, Eli is a boy, btw).

http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

I would argue that she was always a girl... Her age was more the ambiguous part. I think it's confusing because she was played by a Swedish actor, not that they were really trying to cast someone that people couldn't tell whether she was a girl or a boy. Therefore casting a girl in the role this time makes complete sense.

Dark Fist

Yeah... It doesn't matter who they put in, I simply can't imagine any way they could remake this movie without disappointing me. It's really just so unnecessary.

RoyMunson

You can argue all you want Alex, but he was a boy.

ross

Hi Alex, hello, anyone there.
"I would argue that she was always a girl"
erm read the book it may enlighten you, eli is actually elias, a male 12 year old castrated as he was put forward by the locals to have the precedure undertaken by an ancient vampire.
the book is amazing and deals with more subjects in detail, such as the peadophile hakan and how he actually survives the fall from the hospital window, his adventures are proper fucked up.
the film is amazing too and the remake will be a useful reminder of have great the original is.

Chris

Well, Hakan doesn't survive the fall, really...
And, yes, it was an incredible shift in the book when Eli is revealed to be a boy. At that moment, every reference to Eli turns from "she" to "he," "her" to "him." It's almost disorienting, but it was one of my absolute favorite parts of the book.

Chris

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the film hints at Eli's gender in the scene where you see a scar in the pubic area.

Mike

No matter who is cast in the film, no matter how perfectly it comes together, there is no way it will live up to the original. Even if this turns out to be a great film, the original is a near-perfect film and any remake is just unnecesarry, whether the content is amazing or terrible.
i have no doubt they can make a good film, hell, if this is 1/100 of the original, it will be a great film, but the simple fact of how unnecessary it is always going to be in the back of my mind.

Conrad

Personally, I absolutely loved "Let the Right One In" as a movie. Extraordinary vampire film. just .....wow!!!
They can make this remake as good as they like....i still won't care for it, no matter who they get. Yes, yes, I know I am being terribly judgmental, but I have no positive outlook on this at all.
"Let Me In" is however an interesting play for a new title.

LINKFX

ALEX WAS A BOY...HIS PRIVATES WERE CUT OFF/CASTRATED, YOU COULD SEE THAT. That's what the scarring was for, also why "her" name was Eli, it could be a hard I or an "E" sound, it's gender neutral. The book is extremely specific in saying that Eli was a boy, now is a genderless ghoul in the form of a girl.

crumb

alex? you think s/he was a girl? wow. you're so wrong. hahah.
and that was one intense roller coaster. let the right one in was one of my fav films of that year, and Hoffman is my favorite actor... i got really excited and then really bummed.

Yuck

Yuck, that little bitch from 500 Days of Summer ruined the movie for me. Bad casting choice!

Tommy

I feel a risk with this remake. Just pray to god that the writers actually read the book - or a remake of an adaption could resolve in losing too much of the original work - and that would be sad. I mean speaking of the role that Hoffman would play as a father/mentor to Eli (he was a slave for his pedofile lusts for the "child").. Changing Eli's name to Abby.. :S Hope they read the book, and don't just interpret the movie (which was good and all, but still it could be much much better).

http://www.galaxykid.net Johnny Neat

Fuck it, I'm in. Let's give it a shot.

bozo

@12 - Labeling a 12 year old actress a "little bitch." Classy.

Curtis G

Agreed #15. #12 please don't come back.

MK-Ultra

That sucks Alex, i guess you and i were the only ones that didn't pick up on the gender thing. Now i need to watch the movie again.
I really don't think they'd remake this movie just because "people don't like dubbed movies" they must know there's something they can add to the formula to get all the fans from the first movie to go watch this one. Or at least i hope so.

http://www.talkingfilms.net John

Eli was a boy that was what made that movie so special and heart breaking. Just dont remake it. It will just destroy. I think loads of people should tell the studios to stop this blasphemy.